Over a third of buyers complain that conveyancers don’t communicate well

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Conveyancers are being urged to be more user-friendly and less technical.

Research among buyers found that 44% find it hard to choose a conveyancer as they all seem the same.

The analysis by conveyancing software provider InfoTrack, highlighted ways conveyancers could differentiate themselves, with 37% saying they would like their solicitor to use more layperson language, rather than legal jargon, to help them understand the process.

Half said they want their conveyancer to take on a more consultative role and provide advice when it is needed.

Asked where home movers believe that conveyancers add the most value, 28% highlighted liaising with Land Registry, 26% highlighted managing the collection and transfer of funds and drawing up contracts, while 23% cited local searches.

Peter Ambrose, director at The Partnership, a user of Infotrack, said: “Helping consumers understand the nature of what conveyancers actually do is a recognised challenge that the majority of law firms fail to address.

“The results of this survey are of little surprise to us, in that conveyancing is much more complex than just a ‘tick-box’ exercise, but no one counters this.

“We designed our ‘client portal’ to give our clients clear visibility of every stage of the process, with specific help screens that don’t feature any legal jargon.

“Access to this ensures clients have a much better understanding of what is actually going on. We believe that only those firms that invest in such client-friendly technology can contribute to the greater appreciation of the work involved that the industry so desperately needs.”

Adam Bullion, general manager of marketing at InfoTrack, said: “Consumers feel that conveyancers take care of the most laborious admin tasks, and ensure their money is being moved around safely and efficiently.

“However, conveyancers should understand that consumers also want consultancy throughout each stage of the process. Consultancy can act as a real value add within the transaction which means better communication.

“Changing communication methods to engage with their customers on their preferred methods will have multiple benefits, from time-saving for the conveyancer to increased client satisfaction, leading to an increase in repeat business.

“Using good technology to do this should be enjoyable, as should the process of buying a home. Conveyancers and home movers can both benefit from the implementation of tools that enable this.”

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7 Comments

The problem with conveyancers/solicitors that do conveyancing is that they have never taken the time to really explain to the customer or estate agents what they do. A good estate agent has learnt over the years what is involved and is therefore able to convince a vendor or purchaser the merits of using a good local solicitor. This helps prevent or lessen problems down the line.

Respect for what each do is key too, as I would not dream of calling an estate agent and saying “can I please have an update: how is your marketing going, have you refreshed the Rightmove adverts, did you give my client feedback on the last viewing?” as I leave Agents alone when I am instructed at the same time by a seller. They can have as long as my client wants them to to sell the house, but sadly, a conveyancer isn’t given the same ‘4 months to sell the house’; woe betide the conveyancer if the contract has not gone out in a matter of days etc.

To comment on the original article:

Conveyancing is ALL about clients, ALL about them, and if conveyancers cannot treat their cleint’s deal as if it were their own, they need to hand in their resignation.

I insist on giving at least weekly detailed updates, especially going into a weekend, nothing worse than if it were your own house move and your lawyer had not updated you for over a week!?

And with such regular updates, you become ‘in it’ with the client, almost a team, talking normally, not legal gibberish like ‘disbursements’, ‘fee earner’, and ‘official copies’ – to name three that I hate hearing’ – but normal language as you work together to get a prompt exchange.

Sad thing is, too many legal firms whip their staff with targets, weekly chasing pressure ‘why are your bills so low’ nonsense etc, which has no place in a quality law firm. Yet so many don’t get it: be about service, never about profiteering, then profit arises all by itself. We are a social media world now, reviews are crippling.

Instead, like so many retailers too, too many legal businesses want to make as much profit to start as they can squeeze from the public, rather than trade on quality and sevrice. Too many conveyancing businesses recruit inexperienced people and pay them peanuts, but still charge normal conveyancing rates. The inexperienced will then fail to communicate, as they have no skill to drive the deal forward when anything taxing comes up, or they don’t care (why would they), as they have no real clue how to be a superb lawyer. They have no confidence.

Currently involved in a large off plan sale and after two months both sets of lawyers have agreed that there are two points stalling the contract. The two points identified on day one as being contentious.

Two months to agree what they agreed on day one as being the issue they now agree is still the issue.

If estate agents didn’t insist on whacking big referral fees for conveyancing, there would be more money left in the pot for conveyancers to have time to explain better rather than working on the bare minimum – sometimes even less than the estate agent has received for the referral.

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